Read this if you have a Linksys router or your security could be compromised

Patch for flaws is coming, with a temporary fix provided for now

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A considerable number of popular Linksys routers are open to a range of security flaws which can be used to leverage all sorts of nastiness.

The host of vulnerabilities affects over 20 Linksys Smart Wi-Fi routers, and these security holes can be used to a variety of nefarious ends including forcing the hardware to reboot, locking the user out, or sniffing out information pertaining to the router or devices hooked up to it.

The gremlins were discovered by security firm IOActive, and Linksys says it is now working on firmware updates for the affected models to cure the issues.

Those affected routers include the WRT 1200AC, WRT 1900AC, WRT 1900ACS and WRT 3200ACM, along with a whole host of the EAxxxx series from the EA2700 up to the EA9500 (check out the full exhaustive list here to see if your particular Linksys model is in danger).

Temporary fix

While folks wait for a firmware patch to come through, Linksys recommends that owners of said routers disable guest networks for the time being as a temporary precaution – as this is a main avenue for exploiting these various flaws.

The company also advises that you should change the router’s admin password from the default, if you haven’t already (which is sensible advice in all circumstances). Furthermore, it’s a good idea to enable automatic firmware updates with your hardware to make sure you get the fix as soon as it’s available (instructions on how to do this are provided here).